An anthology of Erma Bombeck’s best writing, and a tribute to one of America’s sharpest witsWhen she began writing her regular newspaper column in 1965, Erma Bombeck’s goal was to make housewives laugh. Thirty years later, she had published more than four thousand columns, and earned countless laughs—from housewives, presidents, and everyone in between. With grace, good humor, and razor-sharp prose, she gently skewered every aspect of the American family. This collection holds the best of her columns—not just her famous quips, but also the heartbreaking observations that gave her writing such weight.In 1969, Erma wrote: “screaming kids, unpaid bills, green leftovers, husbands behind newspapers, basketballs in the bathroom. They’re real . . . they’re warm . . . they’re the only bit of normalcy left in this cockeyed world, and I’m going to cling to it like life itself.” Three decades later, Bombeck’s writing remains a timeless examination of the still-cockeyed world.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.Amazon.com ReviewErma Bombeck occupied a seat of honor in the homes of millions of Americans. Hers was inevitably the column you read aloud at the breakfast table, the piece you tore out on the bus to send to your mother, or the clipping you stuck on the fridge as a chuckling reminder of our modern lives' sublime ridiculousness. Bombeck had an eye for our common experience and a knack for throwing it into touching relief; we laughed because we saw ourselves in her work. She died last April, and this collection--the profits of which benefit her favorite charities--pulls together some of her best loved columns. The columns span Bombeck's career and the book includes tributes delivered at her memorial service. From Publishers WeeklyThe housewife columnist whose gently subversive humor has won her a prominent niche in American culture is commemorated in this collection of over 120 of her most popular and memorable essays. Bombeck, whose bestsellers include All I Know About Animal Behavior I Learned in Loehmann's Dressing Room, died in 1996. Trained as a newspaper reporter, she honed her skills into a unique blend of humorous social commentary based on the quotidian passage of domestic life and an empathy with women in their relations with the larger world, including spouses and children. Much honored, quoted and sought after for advice, Bombeck had an infectious sense of human absurdity that is highlighted in this collection celebrating her 25-year career as a low-key enforcer of the positive in the face of adversity, whether it be her own terminal illness, or "missing socks, promiscuous hangovers and other unexplained phenomena" that were grist for her reporter's mill. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 111
The E.F. Benson Megapack collects 36 of Benson's horror stories, including such classics as The Bus-Conductor, The Room in the Tower, and The Thing in the Hall.Included are:AT ABDUL ALI'S GRAVETHE MAN WHO WENT TOO FARTHE CATGAVON'S EVETHE DUST-CLOUDTHE SHOOTINGS AT ACHNALEISHTHE BUS-CONDUCTORTHE HOUSE WITH THE BRICK-KILNOUTSIDE THE DOORHOW FEAR DEPARTED FROM THE LONG GALLERYTHE CONFESSION OF CHARLES LINKWORTHTHE ROOM IN THE TOWERCATERPILLARSBETWEEN THE LIGHTSTHE TERROR BY NIGHTTHE OTHER BEDTHE CHINA BOWLTHE PASSENGERTHE APETHROUGHTHURSDAY EVENINGSTHE PSYCHICAL MALLARDSMRS AMWORTHTHE GARDENERTHE HORROR-HORN"AND THE DEAD SPAKE..."NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANSIN THE TUBEMR. TILLY'S SEANCETHE CASE OF FRANK HAMPDENMRS. ANDREWS'S CONTROLTHE DEATH WARRANTMACHAONAT THE FARMHOUSEINSCRUTABLE DECREESTHE THING IN THE HALLAnd don't forget to search your favorite... Views: 111
From the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thrillers: The first in a nail-biting new series featuring Kick Lannigan, a young woman whose complicated past has given her a very special skill set. Famously kidnapped at age six, Kick captured America’s hearts when she was rescued five years later. Now, twenty-one, she finds herself unexpectedly entangled in a missing child case that will put her talents to the test. Trained as a marksman, lock picker, escape artist and bomb maker by her abductor, Kick could not return to the life of the average young girl after her release. So, in lieu of therapy, she mastered martial arts, boxing, and knife throwing; learned how to escape from the trunk of a car, jimmy a pair of handcuffs, and walk without making a sound—all before she was thirteen. Kick has trained herself to be safe. But then two children go missing in three weeks, and an enigmatic and wealthy former weapons dealer approaches her with a proposition. John Bishop uses his fortune and contacts to track down missing children. Not only is he convinced Kick can help recover the two children—he won’t take no for an answer. With lives hanging in the balance, Kick is set to be the crusader she has always imagined herself. Little does she know that the answers she and Bishop seek are hidden in one of the few places she doesn’t want to navigate—the dark corners of her own mind. A heart-stopping, entertaining thrill ride, One Kick announces the arrival of a blistering new series by a stunning talent in the thriller realm.** Views: 111
Imagine the moment when the present ends, and the future begins—when the world we knew is no more and a brave new world is thrust upon us. Gathering stories by nine of today's most incisive minds, Seeds of Change confronts the pivotal issues facing our society today: racism, global warming, peak oil, technological advancement, and political revolution. Many serve as a call to action: How will you change with the future? These nine stories sow seeds of change across familiar and foreign territory, from our own backyards to the Niger Delta to worlds not yet discovered. Pepper, the mysterious mercenary from Tobias S. Buckell's Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, works as an agent for change—if the price is right—in "Resistance." Ken MacLeod envisions the end-game in the Middle East in "A Dance Called Armageddon." Blake Charlton imagines a revolutionary advance in cancer research in "Endosymbiont." Award-winning author Jay... Views: 111
In Rock Harbor Search and Rescue, a middle grade fiction novel based on Colleen Coble's bestselling Rock Harbor series for adults, kids will enjoy the mixture of pets, adventure, suspense, and a mystery. Emily O'Reilly is obsessed with all things Search and Rescue. She volunteers with the team and goes on rescue missions with her stepmom. She is even selling homemade jewelry to save up for her own Search and Rescue puppy. But when an expensive necklace is stolen from a renowned jewelry artist at Rock Harbor's fall festival and Emily is accused of the crime, it looks like she'll never get her puppy and be able to join the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue team. Emily isn't willing to give up on her Search and Rescue dreams that easily, and she sets out to find the real culprit and to restore her reputation. With a few suspects in mind, Emily is determined to uncover the truth, but she isn't prepared for the secrets she and the Search and Rescue dogs sniff out in the process. This exciting mystery is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and have them pining after a Search and Rescue puppy of their own! Views: 111
An Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet meets its fate beyond the Halo WorldsPursued by vengeful eldar, Magos Kotov’s Explorator armada heads into a newly revealed area of space in pursuit of ancient secrets. As the Adeptus Mechanicus forces and Black Templars Space Marines tackle the twin threats of the aliens and insurrection aboard the fleet, a greater danger reveals itself... Views: 110
When a World's Fair Guard and the woman doctor assigned to treat him square off in the White City, a storm is brewing...Hunter Scott is one of the elite. An 1893 Chicago World's Fair guard specifically chosen for his height, physique, character, and ability to serve and protect. When he is overcome with debilitating abdominal pain, Hunter stumbles to the Fair's infirmary only to discover the doctor is female--who ever heard of a female doctor? But even worse, she has the nerve to diagnose him, the toughest man west of any place east, with constipation--an unspeakable ailment in mixed company. What will happen when this tough Texan and attractive doctor face off? Either way, a tempest is brewing... Views: 110
The authors of The Hypnotist and The Nightmare deliver their most thrilling novel yetFlora Hansen calls herself a medium and makes a living by pretending to commune with the dead. But after a gruesome murder at a rural home for wayward girls, Hansen begins to suffer visions that are all too real. She calls the police, claiming to have seen a ghost, but only one detective puts aside his skepticism long enough to listen: Joona Linna. Linna has spent more time at the scene of the crime than any other detective would. The case seems obvious on the face of it: One of the girls at the home escaped in the middle of the night, leaving behind a bloody bed with a hammer under the pillow. But why does Hansen insist that the murder instrument was a stone, not a hammer? And what’s the story behind the dark red grain of sand, almost like a splinter from a ruby, stuck beneath the dead girl’s fingernail? As Linna refuses to accept easy answers, his search leads him into darker, more violent territory, and finally to a shocking confrontation with a figure from his past. Just as Lars Kepler’s The Hypnotist and The Nightmare did, The Fire Witness has spent months at number one on the Swedish bestseller lists. As the newspaper Dagens Nyheter put it, you start the thriller “on the subway home, keep reading at the dinner table, and then don’t stop until well into the wee hours.” Kepler writes with the force of Stieg Larsson and the plotting of Jo Nesbø. The Fire Witness is an unflinching page-turner, sure to join the ranks of its predecessors as an international sensation.ReviewPraise for Lars Kepler“Action-oriented, inventive, with over-the-top plots and larger-than-life heroes and criminals.” —*Los Angeles Times Magazine“[Kepler’s] ability to inhabit the workings of psychotic psyches is authentically shocking. Larsson is destined to have many heirs . . . Kepler is by far the best.” —Lev Grossman, Time*“Outrageously entertaining . . . Methadone for readers suffering from Stieg Larsson withdrawal.” —Laura Miller, Salon“Kepler’s characters are admirably flawed . . . It’s a smooth collaboration . . . with frequent surprises and grace notes amid the carnage. With any luck, we’ll hear more of Lars Kepler.” —Patrick Anderson, The Washington PostAbout the AuthorLars Kepler is the pseudonym for a literary couple who live in Sweden. Their novels, including The Nightmare and The Hypnotist, have been number-one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and Spain. They live in Stockholm. Views: 110
Amy's mother, Regina, wouldn't let Amy turn out like her. Regina's choices ruined her life, leaving her with little besides her daughter. She had to ensure Amy would be better. As an adult, Amy is haunted by the memory of her mother, haunted by her words and her deeds. Haunted by the way they lived, in a house full of darkness and silence. Her psychosis is so deep she ends up in a psychiatric ward under the care of Dr. Ryan Patent. Dr. Patent is convinced this paranoia is treatable, if Amy only follows the regimen he sets forth.
Except the regimen is exactly what Amy feels will bring her mother back, in order to punish her for the woman she has turned into.
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Leo Saint-Clair, alias the Nyctalope, was created in 1911 by Jean de La Hire, one of France's most prolific serial writers. Gifted with night vision, hypnotic powers and an artificial heart, Saint-Clair is a fearless hero who battles colorful super-villains. His adventures, which spanned 30 years, created a template that was later adopted by such pulp heroes as Doc Savage (1933), before providing the core mythology of American comic books. In the first part of The Nyctalope vs Lucifer trilogy (1921), the Nyctalope faces Baron Glô von Warteck, a.k.a. Lucifer, who uses his evil mind powers to blackmail the leaders of the Europe and plots to rule the world from his castle of Schwarzrock in the Black Forest. Just as Captain America, is the incarnation of the Stars and Stripes, the Nyctalope, stood for the ideals of Colonial France between two world wars. Jean-Marc Lofficier. Views: 110
